Car-door.



F. MATHEWS.

CAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 1913.

1 185 818. Patented June 6,1916. 9 ZS'HEETS-SHEETI.

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F. MATHEWSQ CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. I913.

Patented June 6, 1916.

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ermine "rare FIRED MATHEWS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CLINTON C. MUBPHY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented time a, rate.

Application filed May 2a, 1913. Serial anteater.

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to car doors of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 756,-tl25, filed March 24th, 1913, in which the door is supported on rollers arranged under the lower edge thereof.

. The invention has for its object to provide certain improved arrangements relating to the means employed for retaining and guiding the upper edge of a door of this type. I I have shownin the drawings annexed hereto and will describe herein severalalternative constructions, each of which has for its purpose to provide simple and inexpensive means for holding the upper edge of a door in place, guidingit during the opening and closing movements of the door and preventing dust, cinders, sparks, rain, snow and the like from being driven into the car over the top of the door. These constructions are designed, furthermore so that the elements thereof reinforce, stilfen and strengthen the door and the door frame, and, so far as certain of said constructions are concerned, so as to provide means forsupporting the door and preventing it from falling from the car 1n case the rollers which-normally support it should he in jured, broken off or detached.

\Vith reference to the drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway box car showing the door thereof provided with retaining guiding means constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2' is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and i, a fragmentary sectional view and elevation illustrating a modified constri'lction; and Figs. 5, 6 and 7, fragmentary sectional views showing three other modified constructions.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 designates the side sheathing of a car, 11 the side plate, 12 the side sill, 13 the door opening and 1d a sliding door. Thelatter is supported upon rollers 15 which are preferably mounted in retaining brackets 16 having lips 17 which project above the lower edge of;the door, the latter-being preferably provided with the angular wear strip 18.

Referring particularly to lfigs. 1 and 2, a guide strip 19 is secured by means of bolts 20, or other suitable means, toa fascia block 21 above the door opening. upper edge of the door is provided with a guide strip 22 having a Ushaped flange or lip 23 extending around an inturned flange The 24 formed on the guide strip 19. The horizontal portion 25 of the U-shaped flange 23 is not intended under normal conditibnsto' come into contact with the flange2l. However, if the supporting devices at the lower edge of the door should he accidentally broken off or detached, the engagement be tween the guide strips at the upper edge of the door will prevent the door from falling from the car. in fact, amd'er these conditions the door may be moved back and forth to open and close it, although not so easily as when supported, as intended,

uponthe rollers 15. Under all conditions the strips 19 and 22, together with the door frame member 26, serve to retain the upper edge of the door in proper position and guide it during the opening and closing movements of the door. The strips reinforce, strengthen and stiffen the door and also the door frame. Being angular in cross-section, they are well. calculated to perform this function. Furthermore, their relationship is such as to provide effective means for preventing rain, snow, dust, cinders and the like from blowing into the car over the top of the door.

. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the guide strip on the car is an L-section strip 27, the vertical flange of which is fitted into a kerf in the fascia block 28. This arrangement gives additional security against the entrance of water into the car.- The guide strip. on the door, the latter designated 29, consists of a Z-bar 30, the upper flange of which 31 extends back of the guide strip 27. ()n the front of the door are secured angular clips 32, the horizontal flanges 33 of which extend over, preferably without touching, the horizontal flange 3l of the guide strip 27. These devices support the door on the guide strip 27in case of accident to the supporting elements at the lower edge of the door and, furthermore, limit the in- Ward movement of the upper edge of the door so that dependence does not have to be placed in this regard upon the door frame member 26. It will be seen that if rain is driven into the space between the top of the door and the flange 34 of the guide strip 27, it is intercepted. and prevented from entering the car by the vertical flange 31 of the guide strip 30.

The arrangement in Fig. 5 is the same as that in Figs. 3 and 4: except that the guide strip 27, instead of being secured in a kerf in the fascia block, here designated 35, is fastened against the outer face of the same;

In Fig. 6 the guide strip on the car con-' sists of a Z-bar 36. The construction is otherwise the same as in Fig. 5. The depending lip or lower vertical flange 37 of the Z-bar 36, by projecting down in front of the Z-bar 30 on the door, makes this construction more certainly water-proof than that shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows an extremely simple construction in which the guide strip on the car consists of a flat bar or strip 88, the guide strip on the door consisting of a Z-bar 30 as in the three constructions last described. The upper vertical flange 31 of the Z-bar 30 extends between the strip 38 and the upper door frame member 26 so as to retain the upper edge of the door in position and guide it when the door is opened and closed. This arrangement also gives some measure of protection against the danger of water and the like being blown into the car over the top of the door. 7

While I have described my invention in certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that modifications might be made without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a railway car provided with a door normallysupported along its lower edge only and beyond the outer edge of the door opening, of a guide strip formed with a lateral projection 'on the car above the door opening, and a guidenaeaeie strip on the door having a flange which prejects upwardly from the door back of said first-named strip,jthe said guide strip on the door being formed with a lateral flange which overhangs said projection on the firstnamed guide strip, for the purpose described.

2. The combination with a railway car provided with a door normally supported along its lower edge only and beyond the outer edge of the door opening, of a guide strip formed with a laterally extending flange on the car above the door opening, and an angular guide strip secured to the upper edge of the door having a flange which projects upwardly from the door back of said first-named guide strip, said angular guide strip being formed with means which overhang said laterally extending flhnge on said first-named guide strip for the purpose described.

3. The combination with a railway car provided with a door normally supported along its lower edge only and beyond the outer edge of the door opening, of a guide strip on the car above the door opening, and an angular guide strip on the door having a flange which covers the upper edge of the door and an upwardly projecting flange which extends back of said first-named guide strip, said upwardly projecting flange being provided with means which overhang'said first-named guide strip for the purpose described.

4:. The combination with a railway car provided with a door normally supported along its lower edge only and beyond the outer edge of the door opening, of a guide strip on the car above the door opening formed with an inturned flange, and a guide strip on the door having a substantially U-shaped flange which extends around the inturned flange of said first-named guide strip.

FRED MATHEWS.

Witnesses: L. A. FALKENBERG, Gr. Y. SKINNER.

@eples at this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommtseioner e12 Iratents. W'aahtngten, D. G." 

